Andrew Berry walked into the offseason with a roster to patch together and very little room to maneuver. Cleveland needed starters on both sides of the ball, the cap situation was tight, and the Browns had to find value wherever it was hiding. So Berry leaned into the kind of bets teams make when they can’t afford to miss: lower-cost veterans, a calculated draft swing, and one pricey gamble that hasn’t aged well.
So far, the Browns have gotten more good than bad out of that approach. A few of the additions have fit right in and given the team real production.
Others have been a letdown. Here’s how the main offseason swings are sorting out after five games.
Denzel Boston is already looking like the kind of draft pick a team can build around. Before the 2026 NFL Draft, analysts knocked him for his separation issues, which pushed his stock down and gave Cleveland a shot at him in the second round.
That decision is looking smarter by the week. Boston has 330 yards and three touchdowns through five games, and he’s already stacking up highlight-reel grabs that make the league’s doubts look a little silly.
He looks like he could be Cleveland’s future WR1.
Elgton Jenkins has also given the Browns exactly what they needed up front. The former Packers blocker arrived after Green Bay moved on from him, and Cleveland wasted no time installing him at center.
He has settled in as a high-level starter, even if the Browns’ run game hasn’t been sharp enough to fully match his presence. Still, the pass protection numbers jump off the page: Jenkins has allowed just one pressure in 161 pass-blocking snaps, which is tied for the fewest among qualifying centers.
Quincy Williams has been another useful veteran addition. The Browns brought in the ex-Jets linebacker on a two-year, $13 million deal, and he has delivered right away.
He leads the team in solo tackles and has played a big role in Cleveland becoming one of the better pass defenses in the league so far. He’s 30, so he isn’t the long-term answer next to Carson Schwesinger, but for this season, the impact has been clear.
Not every move has hit, though, and Zion Johnson stands out as the biggest miss so far. He came in as Cleveland’s most expensive offseason addition on a three-year, $49.5 million contract after a shaky season with the Chargers.
Johnson has held up in pass protection, but the Browns expected more on the ground, and that hasn’t shown up. At $16.5 million per year, he’s supposed to be the anchor of the interior line, and he hasn’t played like it.
The Browns’ trade for Tytus Howard is a little different. Cleveland sent a fifth-round pick to Houston to get a starting offensive tackle, and that’s hard to criticize on its face.
The problem is what has happened since. Howard has too often been the weak spot in the line, leading the team in pressures allowed and posting the lowest PFF run-blocking grade among the starters.
In Other News...
Browns Suddenly Have A Ravens Week Question Fans Desperately Wanted
Friday brought a welcome shift at Browns practice, with several injured players getting back on the field after limited or no work earlier in the week. Defensive tackle Mason Graham, running back Quinshon Judkins, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and edge defender Derek Barnett all participated, giving Cleveland a healthier look as it moves through a key stretch of preparation for Baltimore.
Grahams return is especially notable after he missed 15 days with a sprained MCL and ankle, and the Browns are still sorting through where their running back group stands heading into Ravens week. With practice availability trending in a better direction, the main question now is which of these returning pieces can actually be counted on when the matchup gets here. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Backfield Problem Before Ravens Showdown
Quinshon Judkins missed practice drills for a second straight day, and that alone has put the Browns in an awkward spot heading into a critical game against the Ravens. With a matchup this important, Cleveland had little margin for error already, and the running back situation only looks thinner as the week goes on. Dylan Sampson was on the field in a limited capacity while working back from a knee injury, but the overall picture is still unsettled.
The concern extends beyond one position group, too, because the Browns are dealing with injuries elsewhere as they try to get ready for Baltimore. When a team is bracing for a big divisional test and one of its top backfield options is trending the wrong way, every practice rep matters. Cleveland still has time to sort it out, but right now the backfield is the kind of problem that can change how the rest of the week feels. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Is Suddenly Grading Like An Elite NFL Defender
Pro Football Focus first rookie rankings of the 2026 season have given Cleveland a notable early-season talking point on defense, with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren emerging as the highest-graded rookie and the top safety in the league after five weeks. Taken 58th overall, McNeil-Warren has already carved out a role for the Browns, piling up 22 tackles while making life difficult on quarterbacks whenever the ball has come his way.
Across 109 snaps, he has allowed only four targets and produced an average passer rating allowed of 27.6, the kind of early return that gets attention quickly in a league where rookies are usually asked to survive before they thrive. Cleveland has another young standout in Denzel Boston, who leads all rookies in receiving yards with 330 and has three touchdowns in five games, giving the Browns a pair of first-year contributors worth tracking as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]